[Hunted Charlie]

I think Head-Fi needs this forum. Sometimes, when a wallet just can't be apologized to any more, Budget-Fi is the only way to go...

 

[Calexico]

How cheap are we talking about? Sub $50? Impulse buy level (which can be pretty high for some people)? Sub $100?

If it's not too low/high (headphones between $20-$150) it might be a good idea for those who are just starting to upgrade their phones.

 

[Sherwood]

The same question is often asked in the Summit-Fi forum -- "What fits here?"

The answer is usually self-evident. If you feel your gear is budget, then it probably is. Likewise, if you feel your gear is truly "High-End", then it likely is as well. Believe me, the rest of the forum is plenty quick to put folks back in line if they feel their Little Dot is high end, or their 650s are budget.

 

[markl]

I'm completely against the balkanization of Head-Fi. I was against the High-End forum (and now that we've seen it in operation for some time, does anyone see any value add?), I'm against this one, too.

What do we call the regular headphone section, "Mid-Fi Fi"? Are we going to be building in some class warfare into the site?

How about we make a "Tube-Fi" while we're at it, 'cause hey, the tube dudes need their own forum. Then a "Stat-Fi" 'cause God knows the stat dudes don't want to have to hang with the lowly dynamic guys. But that will offend the Ergo users who feel left out so we'll need a new Ergo sub-forum.

All we're doing is spreading the information around and hiding it in places people won't know to look for it. This dilutes the value of Head-Fi.


I just don't get the need for these new forums. Solution in search of a problem if you ask me.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm completely against the balkanization of Head-Fi. I was against the High-End forum (and now that we've seen it in operation for some time, does anyone see any value add?), I'm against this one, too.

I'm mostly against the balkanization of head-fi.

I think breaking in-ears away from everything else made a lot of sense.

I think the high-end forum has not been a good thing for stax discussion. I personally think that the stax thread belongs in the general headphone area, but, for example, a thread strictly about different versions of the Omega does belong in the high-end area.

But what we've got is a stax thread that has been drastically cut in traffic, and more new electrostatic threads in the full-size headphone area than usual.

I don't think we need a budget-fi area. people ask for recommendations at particular price points frequently, but it's not a problem.

Think of it in terms of people who need info and people who have info. I can make recommendations at just about any price point, but i'd have to be pretty bored to go to into a budget-fi forum looking for people who need info, because the low-end isn't interesting to me.

I'm a cheap person but i have a good job and I'm willing to buy used and even broken to pay less for what i want.

Some of my favorite headphones cost me less than $30 but good luck finding another pair at that price.

 

[Lazarus Short]

It would clash with our motto.

 

[kool bubba ice]

We already have a budget fi.. It's called the headphone & amp forum. Personally, I don't want budget fi.. As I have no interested in buying the best 50.00 headphones out there, & is a waste of my reading time, cause I want to find out more about hi end headphones, especially the ones I can't afford..

 

[Alucard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm completely against the balkanization of Head-Fi. I was against the High-End forum (and now that we've seen it in operation for some time, does anyone see any value add?), I'm against this one, too. What do we call the regular headphone section, "Mid-Fi Fi"? Are we going to be building in some class warfare into the site? How about we make a "Tube-Fi" while we're at it, 'cause hey, the tube dudes need their own forum. Then a "Stat-Fi" 'cause God knows the stat dudes don't want to have to hang with the lowly dynamic guys. But that will offend the Ergo users who feel left out so we'll need a new Ergo sub-forum. ...

And don't forget the Ortho-Fi section! We don't want to overlook them!
Or why don't get additional sub forums within each sub forum, for each brand within each of the sections. Like "Budget-Fi-->Headphones-->AT-->Closed cans" that would truly be awesome!
...or maybe not.


I totally agree with you. I am too against both the high-end and the budget-fi forum. I liked it best, as it were before, with just one section.

 

[bugs]

we need a balanced forum concerning gear

 

[ZephyrSapphire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bugs /img/forum/go_quote.gif we need a balanced forum concerning gear

We already have a balanced forum. If only newcomers would use the search function rather than making a new thread on "what's good" and "what do you recommend blablabla" for $200 when it has most likely been discussed in some other thread.

 

[swt61]

I'm way past budget gear personally, but I understand that there is a great volume of members interested in such a forum.

 

[goldragon]

I travel for work a lot and am often paranoid about forgetting or breaking something on a trip. I'd be interested in info on setting up an economical, traveled sized rig

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bugs /img/forum/go_quote.gif we need a balanced forum concerning gear

Our forum is well balanced I would say!

Quite a lot of us enjoy High-End gear, quite a lot enjoy Low-Fi gear, and a quite a lot enjoy mid-fi gear. Some like portable gear, while others like stationary gear...
There are lots of active discussions in every sub-forum.

Or did you mean... ?

 

[Earwax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keithpgdrb /img/forum/go_quote.gif I dont really see the point of a budget-fi. no one aspires to be on a budget, and there are plenty of threads discussing the gear that would appear in it anyway. we all want the best of what we can afford, and lots of people would probably skip over the budget fi thread anyway, seeing it as settling for lesser gear. now dont get me wrong, I do see the appeal, but I just dont think it needs its own forum.

I have to disagree. I don't want the best I can afford, I want the most bang for my (reasonable) buck. I like audio, but my personal point of diminishing returns is somewhere in budget-fi territory.

A forum for like-minded people would be very welcome. I'd rather it included both portable and home equipement, since to me, the categories overlap, i.e. I use portable stuff at home a lot.

[p.s. if any moderator type reading this could fix that old custom title with the broken icon under my screen name I'd appreciate it, I haven't been a contributor in years and I'd rather just have a regular title ]

 

[10068]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earwax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't want the best I can afford, I want the most bang for my (reasonable) buck. I like audio, but my personal point of diminishing returns is somewhere in budget-fi territory.

Exactly. I don't have any idea how much the rest of you are making, but even at my new $40k salary (wel, hourly but whatever) I have things to pay. Essentials of course, and then there is TV/internet/phone, car expenses, insurance premium(s) and medical bills, then of course finally putting money into savings each paycheck (first time and i'm 23...). Yes, audio is awesome, music is awesome, but I put my health and savings for a new car or my own home far up the list of priorities. FWIW YMMV I suppose...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earwax /img/forum/go_quote.gif A forum for like-minded people would be very welcome. I'd rather it included both portable and home equipement, since to me, the categories overlap, i.e. I use portable stuff at home a lot.

Correct. At work, I listen to my iAudio X5L without any amping of any kind, but it is a stationary system (i'm not really walking around with it, etc.) If I could find a small, cheap-ish amp to make it sound even better, why not? Or at home I have speakers and a Intergrated Amp and 18-bit 5-CD changer I received gratis from my father. Do they soudn stellar? Probably not. But they do what I need. I will likely upgrade points in the system, but getting good cables to the speakers (need that) or maybe a better CD changer is not going to turn my head unless it's <100$ or so.